All About Rubbish

Rubbish, garbage, trash, refuse, waste, call it what you will - we all produce it in prodigious quantities. And the wealthier and more heavily industrialised a nation, the more rubbish it churns out. Rubbish presents big practical problems of collection and disposal, with its attendant implications for the environment and health. With the rise of 'identity theft', it can also compromise our personal security. How we cope with the growing mountains of rubbish is becoming a burning issue - quite literally according to those who favour incineration, as landfill sites become increasingly scarce. Others say we should all be aiming at maximum recycling - and that a culture of 'zero waste' is both desirable and feasible.